STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2968

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: H.B. No. 2133

H.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2018

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Public Safety, Intergovernmental, and Military Affairs, to which was referred H.B. No. 2133, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO POLICE DEPARTMENTS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to establish that citizen complaints against a police officer that involve allegations of domestic abuse by the police officer against a family or household member shall not be required to be filed as a notarized or sworn written statement.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Hawaii State Commission on the Status of Women, Oahu County Committee on Legislative Priorities of the Democratic Party of Hawaii, Domestic Violence Action Center, Hawaii State Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Hawai‘i State Democratic Women's Caucus, and one individual. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of the Prosecuting Attorney for the City and County of Honolulu.

Your Committee finds that curtailing domestic violence is important for the health, safety, and welfare of citizens and that a vital part of reducing domestic violence is ensuring that those reporting acts of domestic violence feel secure and confident in coming forward with complaints. The potential for chilling the voices of those wishing to report acts of domestic violence is particularly high when those reports complain of acts of domestic violence perpetrated by a police officer against a family or household member. Accordingly, this measure allows an individual to make a complaint against a police officer alleging an act of domestic violence against a family or household member without being required to swear to or make the complaint in writing. Additionally, your Committee notes that the legislative intent is to apply this measure only to the civil administrative internal investigations within the police departments.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Public Safety, Intergovernmental, and Military Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2133, H.D. 1, and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to your Committee on Judiciary.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Public Safety, Intergovernmental, and Military Affairs,

________________________________

CLARENCE K. NISHIHARA, Chair